Today I am going to show you how to make DIY friendship bracelets without needing a special loom or equipment. It is easy to make a square friendship bracelet loom using our free printable loom template and then following the simple instructions to make easy friendship bracelets with endless patterns.
Making Friendship Bracelets
This DIY bracelet loom is awesome! I remember friendship bracelets from my childhood. It was so fun to make friendship bracelets – wear it and then give it away. Sometimes my best friend and I would spend the afternoon making friendship bracelets together.
Related: Make rubber band bracelets & Teaching the Life Skill of How to Be a Good Friend for Kids
These easy friendship bracelets are simple to make with this homemade bracelet loom created from our free printable loom template.
How to Make a Square Friendship Bracelet Loom
Several years ago I discovered bracelet looms but like all good things, the loom I purchased got stretched out and the second was lost. The concept of the loom stuck with me and this time we made our own and then created a printable template so you can make one too.
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Supplies Needed to Make a Friendship Bracelet
- Foam board or really stiff cardboard (recycle a packing box)
- Razor blade or exacto knife
- Embroidery thread
- Pencil or marker
- (Optional) print our bracelet loom template – see below
Printable Square Bracelet Loom Template
You can make your own square loom pattern or quickly print our friendship loom pattern template and attach it to cardboard or foam board.
Step by Step Beginner Instructions for Making a Friendship Bracelet
Use these simple step by step instructions to weave string into a friendship bracelet that is completely unique to you. Let’s get weaving…
Step 1: Measure Proper String Length for Friendship Bracelet
The first step is to cut your lengths of thread with these simple measurements:
- Measure the wrist you are planning on using and make the strands that are the alternate colors (not dominate color – in my case the yellow and green strands) twice as long as the wrist.
- Then make the dominate color (in my case the blue) three times as long as the alternate colors.
You will have leftovers, but it is better to have too much thread than not enough.
Tie the threads around a crayon or pencil to help stabilize your bracelet as you weave it.
Step 2: Make Your Square Friendship Bracelet Loom
Grab your foam board or cardboard because our first step now that we have the right string length cut is to create a loom where the weaving can easily happen.
1. How to Cut Out Your Loom
Create your loom by cutting out a square of the board, and mimic the lines pictured in the first image or by following the printed bracelet loom template. Carefully cut everywhere there is a line on the printable template. You will want a hole in the middle and slits on the ends.
2. How to Thread Your Loom for the First Time
To thread your loom, you will want your super long dominate color threads to go on each side and the alternate colors to go on the top/bottom.
Play with the way it looks. We have alternated colors and done stripes (ex: two of one color down the middle and the outer threads being a different color).
Step 3: Weave Your Friendship Bracelet
- Cross your side threads over each other by swapping them from one side to the other.
- Start with a thread on the top right of the card and move that thread to an opening on the bottom right side of the card. In the picture I am moving the green thread down to the opening in the yellow “side”.
- Move the thread at the bottom, (the one to the left of the thread), to the top. In the picture I am moving the yellow thread from the bottom up to the spot that the green thread vacated.
- When you are finished with a “round” the colors should be on opposite sides of the loom. Go back to step 1 and switch the side threads.
- Start with the last thread you switched. So if you started before on the upper right and ended on the lower left, you will want to start on the lower left for the next round.
- Continue weaving with your loom till you reached the desired length.
Tips for Making Friendship Bracelets
- With younger kids, have the square loom already created and work with them step by step through the sequencing of the friendship bracelet pattern.
- Tie off the end of the thread bracelet securely end to end to keep the friendship bracelet in place on your wrist.
- This is an easy craft…once the child has learned the steps. Be prepared for a little frustration until the pattern is mastered.
- This is a great way to work on fine motor skills and the best part is you end up with a really lovely colorful bracelet.
Make Friendship Bracelets Together with Friends
The first bracelet out of string I made was at summer camp with my new best friends. My whole cabin of girls sat with cardboard looms on our laps and strings with loose ends of multiple color combinations in our fingers. Left side. Right side. Upside. Downside. Repeat steps!
Viola! You have a friendship bracelet!
How to Make Friendship Bracelets and Square Loom
You don't need any fancy equipment to make a string bracelet friendship bracelet. We will show you how to easily make a friendship bracelet square loom and then create your own friendship bracelet patterns that are easy and fun to make for older kids of all ages.
Materials
- Foam board or really stiff cardboard (recycle a packing box)
- Embroidery thread
- Pencil or crayon
Tools
- Razor blade
Instructions
Friendship Bracelet Loom Instructions
- Make Your cardboard square bracelet loom by cutting a piece of cardboard into a square with a smaller cut-out square in the middle. See the square cardboard loom template image above.
- Cut slits into your square bracelet loom by following the orange lines on the bracelet loom template.
- Thread your square bracelet loom - the dominate color threads need to be very long and go on either side. Then alternate the secondary colors on the top and bottom.
How to Weave a Friendship Bracelet using Homemade Square Loom
1. Cross side threads over each other by swapping them from one side to the other.
2. Start with a thread on the top right of the square loom and move that thread to an opening on the bottom right side of the card.
3. Move thread at the bottom to the top.
4. When you are finished with a round, the colors should be on opposite sides of the loom. Go back to step 1 and switch side threads.
5. Start with the last thread you switched and continue weaving with square loom until you have your desired length friendship bracelet completed.
Notes
Take a quick picture of the way you set up your square loom with the primary and secondary colors and then snap another one of the finished friendship bracelet. It will help you figure out how each of your bracelet loom patterns will turn out as you make more string bracelets.
More Bracelet Making Fun from Kids Activities Blog
- Make rainbow loom bracelets! They are fun and easy to weave too!
- We have a fun selection of easy loom bracelets charms that kids can make.
- How to make slap bracelets! It is fun!
- Need a simple craft for preschoolers? Try these cereal bracelet ideas!
- Awwww…totally need bff bracelets!
- You will need some LEGO bricks for these yarn bracelets!
- Make Valentines bracelets — we have so many fun ideas!
- And check out this collection of homemade bracelets.
- Make cute and easy DIY bracelets for kids!
How many bracelets can your kids make in an afternoon? What is their favorite friendship bracelet pattern?
It didn’t work for me….
same…….
Hi! I wasn’t sure if you were referring to the square loom printable download, so I am emailing it to you just in case you couldn’t get it!
I am trying to make one of these bracelet for my girls. Thks for sharing!
I used to make these bracelets with my cousin. We made them small, we did massive ones with 30 strands and we had a blast doing it. Our Moms however hated the phase because we were putting holes in their couches from attaching our safety pins there… too bad we didn’t know about making a loom! We would have saved ourselves from a lot of grief!
Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!
these bracelets are awesome i have the stuff to make it all even animal bracelets.
Very clever! I used to make lots of these bracelets when I was younger but never used a loom. Great idea!
Thanks for linking up to our Weekend Wind-Down party! =)
My students would love this! I’d love it if you’d link this up at my very first linky party!
http://accidentallywonderful.blogspot.com/2014/01/accidentally-wonderful-wednesday-1.html
Featuring on Friday!
Awesome instructions! I love the look of the bracelet. Thanks for sharing!
Oh the HOURS I spent making friendship bracelets as a kid!! I’m sure my daughter would enjoy using one of these looms. Thanks for sharing via Family Fun Friday.
Clever idea! I used to love making bracelets like this as a kid. Pinning!